


excuse me for my plastic taste

by masc_devil



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alpha!Jack, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Mutual Pining, Nesting, Omega!Rhys, soft, they're both idiots, yall im dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-06-25 11:44:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19745068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masc_devil/pseuds/masc_devil
Summary: Jack's trying his best. His girlfriend just dumped him, his PA is screaming at him, and to make matters worse, he's pretty sure he's going to go into a rut sooner rather than later.A proposal from a rival company only brings it closer.title from Joji - Plastic Taste





	1. the first step

Jack didn’t love her, nor would he ever. It wasn’t that he was incapable, and it wasn’t that he _didn’t_ like the other - he just found it much more simple to date people who… weren’t as high maintenance. Dating someone like her (vacant, artificial… mindless) was just so much easier than having to actually communicate, and deal with their issues. Jack was a busy alpha, and this lady was a carefree beta - no heats, no pregnancy, no needing to be bonded or defend from other alphas. Really, it was better for them both. 

He wasn’t sure he believed that anymore. When their arguments over who’s turn it was to do the shopping, who had to do the washing, who had to do the cleaning became fist fights and yelling matches, it was a sign that things were going downhill. She spat at him more than a few times, pointing at the dirt on the floor, saying that he was nothing more than that. It didn’t hurt him, in fact he was relieved to hear such insults launched at him. He couldn’t understand how she hadn’t realised this before - he didn’t invest much time into her. Jack wasn’t even sure he’d ever told her he loved her, not even once. Maybe it was because she was a beta? Jack didn’t know.

It ended there and then: he was thrown out, his belongings that she had chucked out on the street, a red handprint on his cheek. Did he regret losing her? It was the excuse that he used in order to drink himself into a stupor in the next few hours, laying on a hotel bed, praying that the rats would eat him during the night. It was a pathetic sight, watching a grown man gulp straight from a bottle as he sobbed. Though, it wasn’t him sobbing at the loss of a partner - rather him sobbing selfishly for himself, only sorrowful at the fact he was reduced to such a low level. He couldn’t airlock her, that would be petty - and he did deserve a slap in the face, if he was being honest with himself. No, he wasn’t upset about anything else. Couldn’t be. 

Waking up the next morning felt like absolute hell for Jack; forced to stare at the failure he’d been the night before in a disgusting mirror. He wasn’t sure whether the mirror was disgusting before he’d stepped into the view of it. His body ached to be clean, but there was no way in hell he would stand on such a grotty floor. Maybe he’d go up to his penthouse, have a shower, ignore the confused looks he got off Rhys as he passed through the office. 

The phone ringing only furthered his annoyance, as he snatched it off the bed and stabbed the answer button. 

“Hello?” He growled into the device, his grip almost disintegrating it before he’d even figured out who had called him in the first place. 

“Where are you? Your meetings started two hours ago - you’re meant to be the fucking head man, Jack, get down here now!” With that, the phone beeped, signalling the end of call (and the end of Jack’s tether). It was lucky that Rhys had already hung up, or else he’d have heard curse words and death threats streaming out of his phone. Giving one last look in the mirror, Jack decided that today would also be the day Rhys got fired, evidently. Or maybe airlocked. Who knows? The bastard was getting too cocky after working for Jack for three years. (Of course, Rhys was too vital to Jack to kill, but Jack pushed that thought out of his grumpy head). 

It was only when he got to the meeting that he realised what a big deal him missing said meeting was. The Head of Atlas was there, sat all high and mighty in _his_ chair at the top of the table, staring at him with an air of arrogance. _Definitely getting airlocked,_ Jack thought, _or strangled._ Well, that would save him the hassle of attending the meeting, but it would ruin a potential business partner, that could earn Hyperion a lot of money. Rhys stared at him - or rather glared at him but with a hint of concern, getting out a fucking baby wipe (seriously where did the kid keep this shit?) and dabbing Jack’s face, where drool and probably dried alcohol stains marked his mask, before handing him a black coffee. His scent calmed Jack down a little - it was soft and sweet, reminding Jack of the bakery down on the Hub of Heroism - and it left as he sat down, leaving a space next to him for Jack. The head of Atlas also had an assistant, though he seemed just as slimy as the head did. Jack squinted at his nametag: Hugo Vasquez. Vaguely rang a bell - maybe he used to work for Hyperion before he moved over. Regardless, they were both alphas, their stench just… awful. 

“Let’s get down to business.” Jack said, as he sat down, keeping eye contact with the Head, whose name he hadn’t bothered to learn and probably wouldn’t. 

After an hour of outrageous demands, Jack decided he’d had enough. _Nothing_ was worth this. He could find some other company, or he could just take over Atlas himself, whatever. That was until Vasquez spoke.

“We’ll accept your deal on one condition,” Vasquez started to say, interrupted by Jack saying ‘shut up, the adults are talking’ until he finished his sentence. “You give us your little omega assistant.” Even Rhys sat up in shock, choking on his coffee at the demand. Jack’s eyes narrowed - there was something else to this deal, and he didn’t like the undertone of it. The Head of Atlas only smirked in response, tapping his fingers on the desk. Oh, how Jack wanted to strangle him. Rhys’ expression was unreadable. 

“Okay.” That wasn’t his voice - he looked around to see who it came from, before he focused on Rhys who looked… numb? Sad? His scent had even changed, the soft sweetness turning stale. And Jack had to put a stop to it. 

“No, no, pumpkin. We’re not whoring you out just to get a deal.” Jack said hurriedly, ignoring Vasquez’s smug expression. ‘ _Fucker’s probably thinking with his dick’_ , Jack’s voice growled in his head. “We reject your deal. Goodbye. Never come back here unless you want to see the airlock.” And with that, Jack stood up abruptly, grabbing Rhys and dragging him out and down to the elevator, ignoring his protests and the “oh my god Jack, what the fuck did you just do that for?!” that was shot at him. He didn’t even let go when they were in the elevator, heading up to his office, growling the whole while. Rhys tried to ignore the urge to cower, his omega side telling him to submit to the alpha growling beside him, but instead he compromised by simply not hitting Jack. When they got to the office, he was not expecting to then also be dragged into Jack’s penthouse, and thrown down onto the couch. 

“Do your weird nest thing that you do in the office when it’s time for your heat, on the sofa instead. I’m going to go shower. You stay and make the fucking nest.” Jack ordered in a stern tone, and Rhys couldn’t stop himself from agreeing to obey. He grabbed blankets he could find in the home, along with cushions, daring to go into Jack’s bedroom to steal the duvet and pillows. The nest looked perfect, and it looked like Rhys had finished it just in time. The shower had turned off, and the bathroom door opened to reveal a better looking Jack, without his mask on. Rhys had already seen Jack’s face - once when he was drunk and crying, once when he demanded Rhys come over and make him breakfast. But Jack just looked more vulnerable this time, and Rhys didn’t know why.   
  
Jack didn’t say anything as he came over, but he let out a pleased hum at the sight of the little nest, grabbing Rhys and chucking him into it, making the boy let out a little squeak in surprise. Then he dove in, curling into the blankets, pulling Rhys against his chest and pressing his face into the boy’s hair, taking deep breaths. Now this - this was something Rhys had no idea how to deal with. He knew how to deal with Jack’s tantrums, he knew how to convince the man to listen, but _this_ ? Rhys could smell Jack clearly, pretty sure that everyone who came into contact with him during the next week would be able to smell Jack. Wait, was the man scenting him..? He could feel Jack nosing at his neck, brushing over his bonding site and _fuck_ if that didn’t make Rhys whimper.   
  
“Jack..?” He asked hesitantly, scared to break the moment they seemed to be having. Jack simply grunted in return, continuing to nose at Rhys’ neck. “What’s… what’s up?” Another grunt, and teeth scraping over his neck - luckily not his bonding spot, it seemed Jack had that much decency.   
  
“Nothin’. Just let me relax, cancel everything that’s on today. We’re not moving.” Jack finally said, after a few minutes of silence apart from the sound of Jack’s hair rustling against his cheek.   
  
“ _We_?” Rhys repeated, raising an eyebrow and pulling Jack out of his neck to look at the man. “How do you know I’ve not got super important stuff to be doing tonight? I could have a date-” Jack growled, pushing Rhys onto his back and baring his teeth. Okay, so maybe that was the wrong thing to say, Rhys realised as he carefully got Jack to lay back down, promising the alpha that he did not have a date. Jack still continued to grip onto him, pressing his face into Rhys’ neck again.

“If I’m going to stay, I’ll need to go home and get my things, Jack.” Time to try the logical approach. Jack hummed as he thought, frowning before he picked Rhys up bridal style, carrying him out to the elevator. Rhys just let him do it, doing his best to ignore the people who stared after them, whispering. Gossiping, probably. He wondered what rumours would be circulating about him tomorrow. 

Eventually, they got to Rhys’ apartment - Rhys had convinced Jack to let him walk properly, and so their compromise was for Jack to hold Rhys’ hand instead. Jack hummed appreciatively at the scent of the omega’s home, glad that it smelled of Rhys and only Rhys. No alphas… until they got to the living room, and found Yvette and Vaughn sitting there calmly watching TV. Jack let out a loud growl, giving them both death stares, but Rhys quickly shushed him and pulled him along to his bedroom. 

“Can you grab me some clothes? I need to go get my pills.” Jack frowned, his gaze flickering to the living room. “Jack… they’re just my friends. Yvette and Vaughn. I promise I will be back right after I get the pills.” Rhys wasn’t sure why he was being so patient and caring with his child of a boss. Jack reluctantly let go of his hand, leaving Rhys to go through.   
  
“Do we get a hello?” Yvette asked, grinning as she watched Rhys roll his eyes, searching for his pills. He had suppressants, contraceptive pills, and… pain killers. Should he also take emergency heat meds? He was already using suppressants, so he _shouldn’t_ need to, but stranger things have happened - for example, his CEO in his fucking bedroom, currently searching through his - his fucking _underwear drawer_ ?!   
  
“Jack?” The man turned with a pair of soft yellow lace panties in his hand, looking at them thoughtfully, before stuffing them in the bag too. Of course. Rhys just sighed, before reaching forward to grab a normal pair of boxers, putting them and his pills in the bag, watching as Jack examined them, evidently deeming them okay as he dropped them back in. 

_Fuck, this was going to be a hard night,_ Rhys thought.


	2. step two: the confession

They’d managed to get back to Jack’s apartment, with minimal comment from Yvette and Vaughn, the pair offering to drive them back to Hyperion but Rhys declined. Jack would be growling the whole time. Before they left, Vaughn gave him a knowing look, as if to say ‘ _ don’t do anything stupid _ ’. If something stupid was sleep with his crush of… an embarrassing amount of years, then well, Rhys would try. He liked Jack. He’d always liked Jack - before he was the man’s PA when he would stare at the posters of him, and after he became the PA when he was dealing with Jack’s childishness, and having to get coffee for him every morning. Even his stupid smell made the crush worse. 

The fact that Jack was in a relationship also made it heartbreaking for Rhys, but at least he didn’t ever bring her up to the penthouse or to the office… which meant Rhys never saw her. Did she even exist? Rhys couldn’t ever smell her. If she  _ did  _ exist, then Rhys was pretty sure she would not approve of Jack spooning an omega while they were together. And kissing that omega’s neck. So Jack had advanced from scraping teeth against Rhys’ neck, to kisses on the neck instead, as they watched some shitty comedy and Rhys tried, honestly he  _ tried _ , to eat some food. It just proved to be difficult with a very attractive alpha kissing his neck, which was incredibly sensitive.  _ Fuck. _

  
  
“Jack. Eat.” He received a growl in response, and like a petulant child, Jack shoveled one mouthful of chicken fried rice into his mouth. Rhys had gone through the courtesy of cooking for the older man, the least he could do was eat it. Preferably less like a sulking child. Getting up from the nest, Rhys slipped out of Jack’s grip, putting both of their plates on the dining table and doing his best to ignore the growls that were sent at him. “You are going to sit properly, and you are going to finish that plate of food, and only then will I return to the nest. We can even move it so it’s on the bed. You are also going to explain to me what the  _ fuck _ is going on, Jack.” Another growl, but the alpha listened, glaring at Rhys the whole time he sat at the table. Rhys sat opposite him, to avoid any touching at the table, and ate quietly as he waited for Jack to speak, to explain anything. After a few mouthfuls, the silence was finally broken.

“Girlfriend broke up with me, realised I never really loved her, rut is incoming, Atlas is full of assholes and you smell good.” Not quite was Rhys was expecting, if he was honest. A million thoughts flooded through his mind: so was he Jack’s second choice, a reject fuck? That hurt, almost as much as knowing Jack’s rut was incoming and he didn’t even fucking  _ ask  _ Rhys if he wanted to help. Probably thought he was some typical omega, spreading his legs for any alpha.

So Rhys did what any sane person  _ wouldn’t  _ do, and he stood up and slapped Jack in the face. Twice.  _ Hey, at least he was listening to Vaughn _ \- no, Vaughn would think this is worse. Turning on his heel, he grabbed his belongings from next to the sofa, and started to leave, being blocked by a broad chest and a red face. Maybe he shouldn’t have smacked with his cybernetic hand - Jack had enough scars on his face.

  
  
“Get out of the way, Jack.” Rhys’ attempts to brush by the alpha were stopped by either a body, a hand (which was quickly smacked away) and when Rhys got closer to the door, Jack locked it, and literally hid the keys in his underwear, reminding Rhys of what a child he was. Rhys heard growling, not realising it was coming from himself this time. Jack growled back, starting a contest between them for who would back down first. Unfortunately, it was Rhys, who couldn’t deal with the growling anymore, and let out a whimper instead. Fuck his omega side. 

“Why do you want to leave?” There was a more vulnerable tone to Jack’s voice, one Rhys had never heard before. It scared him a little, if he was being honest. “I need you.” It was said almost silently, Rhys struggling to hear it over the sound of his own heartbeat. 

“You didn’t ask my permission before dragging me here, you assumed I was willing to help with your rut -  _ which really fucking hurts, Jack _ \- and you’re treating me as a rebound - wait, wait, what the fuck?” The last part had finally clicked with Rhys. Jack  _ needed _ him? Handsome fucking Jack, the top alpha in possibly the whole universe,  _ needed _ little old Rhys? God, this night was just getting weirder. “What do you mean?” Rhys had narrowed his eyes at Jack, a frown on his face as he waited for an answer. An explanation. Yet again. 

“You heard what I said.  _ I need you. _ ” With that, Jack stepped forward, grabbing Rhys and pulling him close. Rhys was the only person Jack felt he could show himself around, the only one who Jack could let his guard down with, and after a few weeks of dwelling, he finally realised why nothing felt right. He needed Rhys, and he loved Rhys. Rhys had been gone for a week, to do some conference thing, and Jack… he felt lonely. Even as he slept beside his then-girlfriend, he was still lonely. He just presumed it was a bad time, but now it all made sense. He missed Rhys. He drank himself into a stupor because  _ he missed Rhys _ . The omega smelled like everything Jack wanted but money couldn’t buy, smelled like a luxury Jack never had time to appreciate, smelled more like home than Jack’s own penthouse did. Something Jack never wanted to let go of. 

Rhys was confused, to say the least. What was he meant to do? Admit everything he’d been hiding for years, confess to his  boss crush? No, shit like that only happened in rom-coms. Just like the ones he caught Jack watching while drunk, crying at them at 3am when he had a meeting at 7. 

“Right, we’re taking you to the doctors, you’re not talking sense.” Rhys said, receiving another growl in response but he ignored it in favour of turning around to get Jack a jacket. 

He realised that maybe that was a bad move when he felt arms around his waist, and suddenly he was being hoisted back into the living room. Back into his nest. Jack relaxed his grip a little, trying to calm down so he could explain to Rhys. He wanted to speak genuinely - not just cut off sentences that didn’t really make much sense at all. 

“I love you, and I want you, and if.... if you still want to leave, then I’ll give you the keys and we can pretend this never happened. You can even go to Atlas, if you want.” Jack said, his voice clear. Rhys didn’t think he’d heard Jack sound that clear about anything in his life. “So, what’ll it be, pumpkin?” Jack said after a few minutes of silence, sounding nervous - god, this was getting weirder by the minute. This was it, wasn’t it. The moment Rhys would admit all of his feelings, and then Jack would say that this all was some elaborate prank just to fuck him over. Maybe it was an upcoming prank show. He didn’t know, and he was scared. 

But would Jack do that? Maybe to someone else, but to Rhys? Who was already seeing him at his most vulnerable? God, he just  _ didn’t know.  _

“Fuck, Jack. God, fuck.” He managed to say, before he held onto the man like his life depended on it, beginning to cry. Rhys wasn’t entirely sure if they were tears of happiness, or just relief and exhaustion. Maybe all three. Jack just pet him through it, soothing voice in his ear, while they held each other tight. “You’re… this isn’t a joke, right? If I admit everything I feel for you, you’re not gonna turn around and go ‘gotcha’, and then airlock me?” Jack snorted, but shook his head, taking Rhys’ face in his hands and looking him directly in the eyes. His expression was soft, and Rhys felt his heart skip a beat. 

“I love you.” He managed to say, his voice quiet. The reaction was instant - Rhys was sure he saw Jack’s ears perk up, before he was pushed down and kissed, over and over and over until his head was spinning. When he pulled back for breath, Jack’s attention turned to Rhys’ neck, and it was peppered with kisses and licks and nibbles. He couldn’t help but blush and whimper in response, clinging onto Jack, still waiting for it all to be just revealed as a joke. 

But it never came. 

Instead, the kissing continued. Jack shuffled so Rhys was laid in his lap, back to his chest, so Jack could also rub at Rhys’ hips, drifting his hands up to touch the soft stomach that was… slightly pudgy. And Jack loved it, tracing patterns on the smooth skin while he kissed at Rhys’ temple. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, seeming to just enjoy each other’s company, up until there was a knock at the door that startled them both. The scramble to find the keys ended with Jack giggling, remembering that he’d dropped the key into his underwear, quickly fishing it out while Rhys gave him a disapproving look, but was unable to stop himself from grinning too. Rushing to unlock the door, Jack was expecting to see the mailman, or a delivery driver… but not this. 

Not  _ Nisha.  _ Not the Nisha that he’d dated a few years back, and not the Nisha here, who was now staring at the omega standing beside him with hungry eyes, 

Certainly not Nisha, standing next to Hugo fucking Vasquez. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y’all ever confess your love then immediately have two alphas show up at your door and stare at your new omega boyfriend


	3. step 3: this was all planned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It really was not planned. 
> 
> Jack just doesn't like admitting he makes mistakes. Rhys doesn't like being viewed as helpless.

“Nope. Nuh uh. What the fuck, get out of here!” Jack yelled immediately, glaring at the other two alphas, quickly pushing Rhys out of view. Rhys wasn’t prepared to be suddenly moved, ending up tripping over his legs and cursing them for being so fucking long. They’d got tangled together as he fell, and his reflexes weren’t quite quick enough to straighten them out. Thankfully, he was able to catch himself with his cybernetic arm, landing with a small ‘oof’ which unfortunately made both Nisha and Hugo laugh, baring their teeth. Jack let out a low possessive growl, stepping forward to block their view. Fuck, they hadn’t even bonded and here Jack was, acting like he owned Rhys. Rhys couldn’t deny that the behaviour made his heart skip a beat - it also made his dick twitch, but he decided to ignore that as it seemed less romantic. 

This - this was different to Vaughn and Yvette. Yvette posed no real threat to Rhys, nor to Jack and his relationship with Rhys. Nisha and Vasquez’s leering grins spoke of much more danger than Yvette’s calm, somewhat maternal nature. Rhys didn’t know how to react: part of him wanted to sprint out of there, while another wanted to stand his ground, show he wasn’t a scared little omega. 

“So you got yourself a bitch, huh?” Nisha was the first to speak, going to take another step in, barging past Jack, who tried to stop her but failed. She grabbed Rhys by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up to sniff at his neck, wrinkling her nose. “Disgusting. You’re getting close to heat. Which is perfect for  _ business _ .” She turned her head to glare at Jack. “Vasquez kindly told me that he felt personal matters were interfering with business, and I see he is correct.” Rhys shook where he was being held up in the air by Nisha’s fist, dangling just above the ground. Her face was full of venom and dark lipstick, her smell repulsive to Rhys. Well, at least they both agreed that the other smelled awful.

Jack was still guarding the door, preventing Vasquez from entering but growling at Nisha, making the hair’s on Rhys’ neck stand up and his body cower. Nisha dropped him to the floor without another word, storming towards Jack, before poking him right in the chest.

“You did  _ not _ build Hyperion up to what it is now, to just let a great deal go to waste because of a fucking  _ omega _ !” Rhys winced at the insult, knowing he was being judged on his endotype rather than his ability.  _ He _ was the one who kept Jack from destroying the company by laying in until 12pm, or air locking heads of departments faster than they could replace them. “Now, you’re going to give  _ that _ ,” Nisha pointed at Rhys, “to Mr Vasquez, and you’re going to take that fucking deal.”

Then suddenly something clicked with Rhys. How could he be near heat? He was on suppressants. It was impossible. 

“I’m… I’m on suppressants.” He mumbled out, pulling his knees to his chest. “I- I can’t be nearing heat.” Even Jack looked surprised. 

“Rhysie… have you ever- have you ever taken a break from your suppressants? Or had a check up?” Jack’s soft voice calmed him a little bit, and his hands twitched with the urge to reach out for the man. Shit, maybe he was nearing his heat. Didn’t they always say stress brought it closer? Maybe stress stopped suppressants from working. God, Rhys just didn’t know and his brain couldn’t focus enough to even try to figure out why. What if they were wrong? Maybe that was just Rhys’ usual scent. Maybe they  _ were _ wrong, and the little bit of liquid he felt between his thighs was just sweat, and not at all to do with an alpha going into a rut. Really, he missed his nest, and the comfort it was providing onto his aching bones. Why were his bones aching? Had he just had a tough week? Fuck, what if he  _ was  _ going into heat?

Suddenly a hand gripped his chin, and a flash of black hair was in front of him. He could hear snarling in the back of his head, assuming it was his own, as his vision focused on Vasquez who was kneeling in front of him with a disgusting leer on his face. The hand gripping his chin moved his face side to side, as Vasquez stared at every inch of his body. When his head was turned to the side, he saw Nisha restraining Jack - Jack, who looked ready to kill, his breath coming out of his nose in short puffs, while his eyes showed his anger, pupils dilated. He wondered why Jack wasn’t just rushing, or attacking; it was hardly like Jack to stand there. 

But Jack wasn’t staring at Rhys’ face. He was staring at the man’s neck, where Vasquez held a pocket knife against it. Rhys hadn’t even realised, too caught up in his own thoughts and the growing fuzziness - and holy shit he was going into heat. He  _ knew _ he should’ve brought those emergency heat meds, as a sudden shiver ran through him. Rhys hadn’t gone into heat for… years. He’d been on suppressants longer than he could remember, forgetting to go to check ups, and he kept the prescription going. They didn’t dare cancel it after they learned he worked for Jack now - probably assuming that Jack didn’t want an omega off for a week every month and stinking up the place. 

The knife was cool against his sweating skin, and Rhys really couldn’t help but whine, a pitiful noise that made Jack coo at him to soothe it. Nisha and Vasquez had different reactions: Nisha just glared at Jack with disappointment evident in her eyes, while Vasquez had a look on his face that just made Rhys feel… pathetic. Like he belonged  _ below _ Vasquez, nothing more than just a toy. He hated it, hated the sickness brewing in his gut - he just wanted Jack, and his nest, and for this  _ fucking heat bullshit to go away. _ Rhys couldn’t help but whine again, his scent going stale. 

“He’ll do.” Vasquez’s slimy tone interrupted his thoughts, and Rhys was lifted to his feet, the knife still at his throat. Nisha continued to pin Jack to the kitchen counter, while the older man growled and kicked, his expression purely animalistic now. Rhys let out a soft, soothing noise, calming the alpha down. They weren’t bonded, but they sure acted like it. Maybe they were meant to be - meant to be mates, and the time spent had made a temporary bond? Rhys tried not to think about it too much, his mind pressing onto much more urgent matters, like how the fuck he was going to get out of this. A quick scan with his ECHO eye showed him 3 things that could be hacked - the fire alarm, the toaster, and the sprinkler system. The rest would require his hand, which was pinned behind him. No one noticed him hack the sprinklers, and so it was a shock to the other three when suddenly the kitchen was soaked. Vasquez dropped the knife in order to cover himself, and Rhys took the opportunity to fight, kicking him in the shins and elbowing him in the face. Nisha let go of Jack in shock, and the man rushed to the omega’s side, pulling him away, growling at the pair. He’d kill them another day - right now he didn’t want to spook the omega further by killing someone in his own home. Well, that and the fact it would make one hell of a stain. 

Nisha dragged Vasquez out after shooting a final glare at Jack, as if to say ‘we’re talking about this later’. Maybe he’d book her an early ticket back to that weird town she was the mayor of, or create some  _ crisis _ so she had to go back. That didn’t matter right now, anyway. What mattered was to stop the kitchen from flooding, and then figure out what the  _ fuck _ was happening. 

They managed to stop the sprinkler system fairly quickly, and there was minimal damage. Nothing a few towels couldn’t fix, and nothing that couldn’t just be replaced later. It wasn’t as if Jack lacked the money to just replace the whole kitchen. After he’d thrown a few towels onto the worst parts of the kitchen, he went to look for Rhys, following the trail of his scent, leading him to a… new nest? It was in his bedroom instead, under the canopy his bed - which he had to admit made the nest look much more inviting and cosy. Rhys was curled among the blankets and pillows, changed out of his soaked work clothes and now wearing an old sweater he’d brought. He looked cute, relaxed. It made Jack’s heart warm and beat in weird ways that he’d never felt before. So this was love?

Jack followed suit in getting changed, wearing some hole-y (he’d already made the holy joke too many times to Rhys) sweatpants, opting to go shirtless. By the looks of it, Rhys had made the opposite choice - he opted not to wear pants, and that was just fine with Jack. More than fine, actually. Upon further inspection, it was clear that Rhys had gone to sleep, leaving Jack space to be the big spoon; something Jack only just found out he’d want to be. Rhys was pliant, pressing and fitting perfectly against Jack, purring in his sleep. It made Jack chuff, purring back, as he nestled his face into the back of Rhys’ neck, his breath tickling the bonding sight. Jack didn’t realise until he was pushed onto his back, and there was a Rhys straddling him with blown-wide pupils. 

Correction: an  _ incredibly  _ pissed off Rhys, with slick dripping out of him, snarling at Jack. 

“Are you gonna bond me or not, asshole?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is he? is he gonna bond?? find out next tuesday.   
> rhys absolutely made the roblox oof sound when he fell   
> also don't you hate it when your PA soaks you in the wrong way smh
> 
> feel free to send prompts, messages, memes to me on tumblr: @mascdevil


	4. step 4: love achieved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, this guide to love comes to an end.

For the first time in his life, Jack was speechless. Where did that come from? He even tried to coo at Rhys to calm him down, but the other just growled. 

“Do… uh… do you want me to?” Jack managed to finally speak, his hand moving to pet Rhys’ hair before it was angrily bitten. What the fuck? Had Rhys been replaced by some demon? There were now little indents on the side of his hand, along with a little bit of drool ( _gross_ , _but better than blood_ ). Jack tried his best to compose himself, gain some confidence - he was Handsome fucking Jack for Christ’s sake - and attempted to roll Rhys onto his back. Key word: _attempted_. 

What actually happened was that they both ended up on the floor with flailing limbs, Jack’s knee accidentally ending up on Rhys’ stomach - Jack tried not to laugh when he heard the small ‘oof’, he really did. The omega looked far from happy, laid out on the floor with the sweater rucked up, exposing his tummy and hips, and also a patch of slick that had soaked through his boxers. Jack licked his lips, slowly regaining his confidence. Rhys looked much better than he could’ve ever imagined in any wet dream. Better than his ex, that was for sure. The smell was _divine_ , sweetness filling the air with a tang of something - something Jack couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

Gently, he helped Rhys back up onto the bed, planting a small kiss on his lips until he realised they’d never actually set any boundaries. Jack may be an asshole, but he was a man of consent. Perhaps even a man of enthusiastic consent - which essentially meant that he really really wanted to hear Rhys beg. Just a little bit. 

“What do you want, Rhysie?” Jack’s voice sounded smooth (thank god) and collected, edging on suggestive, as he tucked a loose strand of Rhys’ hair behind his ear, the gel’s hold weakening thanks to the sprinklers. Rhys’ eyes were half lidded, staring at Jack intently with the corner of his lips quirked up slightly. 

“What are we, Jack? What do you want us to be?” Rhys asked, his voice quiet. Jack knew this question was bound to come at some point; Rhys didn’t seem like a one night stand kind of guy, and Jack wasn’t sure if he _wanted_ it to be a one night stand. Rhys offered stability, love, and a form of domesticity that Jack wanted. Someone who would cook dinner sometimes, and eat dinner that Jack cooked with him, and cuddle on the couch. God, Jack was getting _soft_ \- he wanted to _cuddle_ on the couch now, probably just as much as he wanted to kill bandits. Maybe even more. 

“I want us to bond. Pumpkin, I want you to be mine.” He felt Rhys shiver as he said it, and a content smile came onto Rhys’ face as Jack leaned down to kiss him on the lips, softly like a promise. “What do you want us to be, Rhys?” He presumed the answer was the same, but as he said before - he was a man of enthusiastic consent. 

And yeah, maybe hearing Rhys say he wanted Handsome Jack would be a big boost for his ego. Bite him. 

“Want to be yours.” Rhys murmured, pulling Jack down for another kiss, his flesh hand coming up to toy with the nape of his neck. “Like boyfriends and mates, If uh.. you want to? I want to be able to… hug you, and kiss, and.. stuff.” He mumbled, hiding his blushing face into Jack’s shoulder. 

“Okay. Anything you want, pumpkin.” Jack replied with a grin, letting Rhys stay where he was for now. “I’d like to kiss you too.” He murmured, finally removing Rhys from his hiding spot in order to press a soft kiss against his lips, feeling like a weight had been taken off of his shoulders. Rhys’ lips were soft, and he just looked so fucking cute with his eyes closed and a blush dusting across his cheeks. 

“I’ve uh… I’ve never bonded before.” Jack let out a little snort, with a mumble of ‘I hope not’ as he kissed along Rhys’ jaw, slowly moving down to the neck. His teeth ran along the scent gland, groaning at how the sweetness just flooded out. He was going to get addicted to it, he could tell. Continuing to press kisses against Rhys’ skin, Jack slowly edged one hand down to Rhys’ boxers, finding him already half hard and leaking slick. _Perfect_. He toyed with the waistband, pulling away to check that Rhys was still comfortable. He was biting his lip, eyes closed, looking perfectly content. Noticing that Jack had stopped, he cracked open one eye, raising an eyebrow at the man in front of him. 

“Say please.” Jack hummed, a playful grin on his face, as Rhys groaned in response - but he was still smiling. 

“Please, Jack.” He mumbled, his cheeks going even more pink. Jack seemed to be waiting to hear more, raising an eyebrow at Rhys, who quickly covered his face with a pillow and groaned. “Please touch me.” It was slightly muffled, but Jack heard it just fine thankfully, since not even a second later a hand slid over his cock, but over the boxers much to Rhys’ disappointment. Jack’s fingers played gently, focusing on the tip, until there were two wet patches on Rhys’ poor boxers, and Rhys was squirming beneath him. Rhys’ hips twitched up with each touch, making Jack smirk, as he teased and teased and _teased_ , the scent of slick and arousal filling the air as well as the sounds of Rhys’ whimpering.

“What’s the magic word, Rhysie?” Jack asked, whispering into Rhys’ ear and making him whimper again. He loved how responsive Rhys was, preening at any touch.

“P-please…” Rhys could barely get the word out, too busy whimpering and whining as Jack continued to gently stroke the tip with his finger. Jack hummed, as if considering the answer, before deciding to have mercy on the poor boy. He tapped Rhys’ thigh, helping him up while he tugged off his own sweatpants and boxers, tossing them somewhere on the floor. Rhys also kicked off his underwear, revealing his erect cock and slick hole, clenching around the air. It was a mouthwatering sight, one that Jack would burn into his memory. For now, Jack decided that Rhys probably didn’t want to wait any longer, and so moved the boy onto his hands and knees, even going through the courtesy of placing a pillow under Rhys’ hips - which in hindsight was probably a bad idea, considering how soaked it was going to get. _Oh well_. Leaning forward, Jack spread apart Rhys’ thighs with two gentle taps to each one, before running his fingers up past Rhys’ taint, eventually meeting with slick and a tight hole. Gently pressing the tip of his index finger inside, he slowly helped Rhys to relax and let more in, the soft squelching noises bringing a smirk to Jack’s face as he slipped another finger in. Rhys was letting out small whimpers, but Jack assumed they were the good kind as Rhys rocked back against Jack’s slow thrusts. 

Once Rhys could take three fingers easily, Jack decided it was time to get to it. Rhys seemed to think the same thing, as he practically scrambled to get into Jack’s lap, hovering just above the dick with which he so badly wanted to ride himself to incoherency. Slowly, with his lover’s help, Rhys managed to take the head of Jack’s cock, stopping when he got around halfway to breathe and whine. Jack was bigger than he looked, and maybe a lot bigger than the Handsome Jack pleasure toys that Rhys would never admit that he looked at, let alone bought. Jack groaned at the tight, wet heat around him, doing his best to hold back from just snapping his hips up. Soon enough though, Rhys bottomed out, his body falling limp against Jack’s chest as he gasped for breath, his flesh hand digging into Jack’s shoulder in an attempt to ground himself. Jack whispered praise into his ear to keep him calm, telling him what a good boy he was, and how well he was doing.

“My perfect boy, aren’t you Rhysie?” Jack cooed, rubbing circles into Rhys’ hips, as the boy whimpered with each small movement or jolt. After a few minutes, Rhys was moving his hips in small circles, his breathing heavy as he bared his neck.

  
  
“J-Jack! Jack, please, please, please..” Somehow Jack knew exactly what Rhys meant, leaning forwards and pressing their bodies together tightly before moving his lips to Rhys’ neck, brushing up against the scent glands. “Please, please, please..” He whimpered out, and _God_ , Jack just couldn’t resist sinking his teeth in, delighting in the little squeal his - oh fuck, Rhys was his mate now. _His_ . It sent a shiver up his spine, his grip tightening on Rhys’ hips, pulling the boy back down onto his cock, feeling him clench tightly like a vice. He pulled away when he tasted blood on his tongue, gently licking over the bite marks as Rhys writhed and whined in his lap, and suddenly he felt a sticky wetness against his lower stomach, as well as liquid dribbling down his balls. When he looked down, he saw white covering him and Rhys’ sweater - silently thanking that it was that, and not _something else_ \- and couldn’t help but smirk as he bounced Rhys in his lap, his hole relaxed thanks to the orgasm he’d just had. That didn’t stop his wailing though.

“Ja-ack!” was repeated over and over, getting increasingly high pitched as Jack sped up, Rhys finally tightening around him again as well as his dick hardening. Jack slid his hand down, relishing in the loud moan Rhys let out when he wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking slowly. The poor boy was clearly struggling on deciding whether to squirm away from the hand that was both not enough and too much, or buck up into it. Jack ‘ _helped’_ him by speeding his hand up, now jerking Rhys off properly while continuing to fuck into him like a jack hammer. Ha, _Jack_ hammer. He laughed at his own stupid pun, making Rhys let out a confused noise that Jack ignored in favour of squeezing the cock in his hand, quickly distracting the boy in his lap. 

With another few thrusts, aided by Rhys’ rhythmatic clenching, Jack felt his knot swelling, now just rocking his lover in his lap rather than bouncing. The knot caught a few times, making Rhys cry out and practically claw at Jack’s back, until it was stuck inside. Not that it was _really_ the time to think back on it, but he didn’t actually think he’d ever knotted his ex.It felt good, pumping Rhys full. It felt like it satisfied something deep in him, something alpha…

The rut was starting - he’d completely forgotten. 

His mind was taken off of it again as he felt Rhys tense up, his hole squeezing down on the knot, while he let out another loud cry of pleasure. A few seconds later, Rhys’ whole body went limp, and Jack barely managed to catch him before he flopped back. The poor sweater he was wearing was mostly definitely ruined, the hem covered in two loads of cum. Gently, he eased it off of Rhys’ body, making the boy whine as he suddenly felt the cold, particularly on his stomach. Jack used the ruined sweater to wipe them both clean, chucking it on the floor after. Rhys tried to move away from Jack to get the duvet, making the knot tug against his rim, in turn making him whine again, possibly even louder. 

“Woah, woah, easy there pumpkin.” Jack murmured as he pulled his mate close, petting his hair gently before realising that this position probably wasn’t going to be comfortable for long. He managed to shuffle them both down, jostling Rhys as little as possible, until he was laying on his back with his lover on top of him, his face buried in Jack’s shoulder. He even managed to grab the blanket, which was he was surprised to find was clean, despite being under them the whole time. Once they were both settled, Jack kissed the top of Rhys’ head, rubbing his back in slow, soothing circles, enjoying how Rhys purred at the touch. 

“I love you, Rhysie.” 

“Love you too, Jackie.” Rhys mumbled out, before drifting off to sleep.

  
And well, that just made Jack’s heart burst with warmth. If this was what love was meant to feel like, he wanted to feel it every day. Taking one look down at the sleeping omega - _his_ sleeping omega - on him, he had a feeling that he would be feeling this happiness much more often. He was so happy that he couldn’t even care about the drool on his shoulder as he too drifted off, sleeping much better than he had in months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for how long this took!! 
> 
> i hope you have enjoyed this. thank you all so much for the kudos and comments and support. 
> 
> come interact with me on twitter: @mascdevil  
> or on tumblr! https://mascdevil.tumblr.com/
> 
> and look! he did it.

**Author's Note:**

> henlo! hope you enjoyed this chapter. i am working very fast on writing, in a good headspace for it! fuck vasquez. 
> 
> also poor Rhys, it's only gonna get more confusing
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr and twitter: @mascdevil


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